June 2010

June Meeting, Monday, June 7

Bartlesville Public Library Meeting Room

7:00 p.m. - Casual Conversation and Informal Discussion: This will be a good time to talk with other members, share observing experiences and ideas, show your favorite astrophotos or astronomical equipment, and ask questions.

7:30 p.m. - Constructing a Backyard Observatory by Daryl Doughty

Building a backyard observatory from the ground up. If you do a search online for a roll-off observatory you can find many variations on the theme. Here is the one I built in my backyard. Every site will be different with unique terrain and sky visibility. Plus, if you are married, you also have to satisfy your spouse's aesthetic requirements! When finished, it is very nice to just go out on a clear night, unlock your observatory and with a few minutes of setup, be ready to go for an enjoyable viewing or photography experience.

Club Business

After the program there will be a brief business meeting.

ACT July Adams Ranch Star Party by Ann Bruun, ACT VP/Observing Coordinator

It is Adam’s Ranch Registration time. The event is open to Astronomy Club of Tulsa Members and their families, as well as Bartlesville Astronomical Society members and their families. I have attached the registration form for the Adam’s Ranch Dark Sky Weekend, July 9th and 10th. Please fill out the registration and send it in as soon as possible. There are 15 bunks available in the coed bunkhouse, which cost $30 per night. The $30 fee is what the Ranch charges, the club does not keep this money. There is plenty of room for tent camping and space for RVs, which is $5.00 per night per person. This will help pay for the Porta-Potty. The $10 registration fee includes a dinner Saturday night at the bunkhouse for everyone. The dinner will probably be lasagna and a salad, which the club will provide. Anyone who wants to can bring something to go along with the dinner.

We are supposed to leave the bunkhouse in the condition that we found it, so we will have to clean up after ourselves. The ranch also requires we all sign a liability release form, please print out the attached release form and bring it with you to the ranch.

Adam’s Ranch is located on a 30,000 acre ranch about 20 miles NW of Pawhuska OK. It is one of the Darkest places in Oklahoma. Skies easily exceed 6th magnitude viewing naked eye. This ranch once belonged to Oil Tycoon Boots Adams who had his own private airport on the ranch. The ranch has a large bunkhouse with kitchen, bathroom/showers and living area.

The registration form will add up the fees for you. Just follow the instructions on the form. Save a copy and email it in to reserve your spot. In the subject line put – Your name – Ranch registration

Email to Ann Bruun act_obs@astrotulsa.com (there is an underscore between “act” and “obs”)

Then print it off and mail it in with a check to

Astronomy Club of Tulsa

1307 S. Winston Ave.

Tulsa, OK 74112

You can send in just your registration/reservation cost and pay the rest when you get to the ranch or you can pay it all when you register. Reservations cannot be held if payment is not received and the registration fee, $10 per person, is non refundable.

You will need to provide all your own food accept for the dinner Saturday night. Also don’t forget bug repellent.

There are several nice places to visit in the area. The ranch is adjacent to the Tall Grass Prairie preserve that features 36,000 acres of open range and 5000 head of bison. Pawhuska has several historic buildings and Bad Brad’s Barbeque is a favorite eating-place. About 40 miles west is Ponca City with its historic Marland Museum. Those not staying at the ranch may inquire about motels in Pawhuska but be sure to tell them you will be sleeping in the daytime.

If you have any questions you can email me at act_obs@astrotulsa.com I am also looking for someone to help coordinate the dinner. Please email me if you can help out.

Download links for the Ranch Registration From and the Liability Release Form are available as attachments at the bottom of this web page.

Assistant Treasurer

Vicky Travaglini (Milt's wife) has agreed to serve as assistant treasurer for the club while Milt is out of town. Vicky is already familiar with our finances and non-profit status, so it will be a big help to have her handling these aspects of our club responsibilities.

Bartlesville Sky (looking south) June 15, 2010 at 9:30 p.m. (source: Stellarium 0.10.2, see http://www.stellarium.org/ )

June Astronomical Calendar (Universal Time)

d h d h

1 1 Neptune stationary 15 17 Mercury 4.5N of Aldebaran

3 14 Neptune 4.2S of Moon 17 5 Regulus 4.3N of Moon

3 17 Moon at apogee 17 14 Mars 5.3N of Moon

4 22 LAST QUARTER 19 4 FIRST QUARTER

6 6 Uranus 5.8S of Moon 21 1 Spica 3.1N of Moon

7 4 Mars 0.8N of Regulus 21 11 Solstice

8 12 Jupiter 0.4S of Uranus 24 12 Antares 1.8S of Moon

8 17 Venus 4.7S of Pollux 25 5 Moon furthest South (-25.0)

11 0 Mercury 5.2S of Moon 25 18 Pluto at opposition

12 7 Moon furthest North (25.0) 26 10 Pluto 5.8N of Moon

12 11 NEW MOON 26 11 FULL MOON Eclipse

15 5 Venus 3.7N of Moon 28 12 Mercury superior conjunction

15 15 Moon at perigee 30 22 Neptune 4.3S of Moon

Next Meeting

The Library will be closed Monday, July 5, so our next meeting is planned for Tuesday, July 6.

Newsletter Contributions Needed

Our club newsletter is reaching more people each month, and member contributions in the form of short articles, interesting news items, alerts of upcoming astronomical events or activities, descriptions of personal observations or useful equipment, and observing tips, are encouraged. Recurring columns or multipart articles are also welcome. Please submit your contributions to John Grismore or to bvilleastro@gmail.com .

BAS Public Website: http://sites.google.com/site/bartlesvilleastronomyclub/

BAS Yahoo Group: http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/BvilleAstro/

If you want to have your email address removed from the Bartlesville Astronomical Society mailing list, please send an email requesting removal to bvilleastro@gmail.com .